June 13, 2026

Linux File System Navigation: A Beginner’s Guide

In the previous article, we built our cybersecurity lab.

0xJBsec

3 min read

We installed:

  • VirtualBox
  • Kali Linux
  • WinRAR
  • 7-Zip

At this point, your lab is ready.

You open Kali Linux for the first time.

A terminal window appears.

A blinking cursor waits for your command.

And then the most common beginner question appears:

"Now what?"

Most students immediately start searching for hacking tools.

But experienced cybersecurity professionals know something important.

Before learning tools, you must learn the operating system.

And the first thing every Linux user learns is how to navigate the file system.

Think of today's article as learning how to walk before learning how to run.

Imagine You're Exploring a New City

Suppose you land in a city you've never visited before.

You have no idea:

  • Where you are
  • Where your house is
  • Where important buildings are located

The first thing you would do is check your current location.

Linux works exactly the same way.

Before moving anywhere, you should know where you currently are.

Finding Your Current Location with pwd

Open a terminal and type:

pwd

Example output:

/home/kali

pwd stands for:

Print Working Directory

Think of it as:

"Show me my current location."

Just like Google Maps shows where you are standing, pwd shows where you are inside the Linux file system.

You will use this command constantly.

Moving Around with cd

Now that you know your location, let's start exploring.

Suppose you're inside:

/home/kali

and want to enter the Desktop folder.

Use:

cd Desktop

Now verify:

pwd

Output:

/home/kali/Desktop

You've successfully moved into another directory.

Going Back with cd ..

Imagine entering a room and wanting to step back into the hallway.

Linux provides:

cd ..

Example:

Current location:

/home/kali/Desktop

Run:

cd ..

Result:

/home/kali

You moved back one level.

Think of cd .. as:

"Go to the parent directory."

Going Back Multiple Levels

What if you're deep inside folders?

Example:

/home/kali/Desktop/Projects/Linux

Going back one folder at a time would be slow.

Instead:

cd ../../

This means:

Go back two levels

Result:

/home/kali/Desktop

This is extremely useful when navigating large directory structures.

Looking Around with ls

Imagine entering a room and wanting to know what's inside.

Use:

ls

Example:

Desktop
Documents
Downloads
Pictures

ls stands for:

List

It displays files and folders in your current directory.

Think of it as:

"Show me what's here."

Seeing Hidden Files with ls -la

Linux contains hidden files.

These files usually begin with:

.

Example:

.bashrc
.profile
.config

To see everything:

ls -la

Example output:

drwxr-xr-x Desktop
drwxr-xr-x Downloads
-rw-r--r-- .bashrc
-rw-r--r-- .profile

This command shows:

  • Hidden files
  • File permissions
  • Ownership
  • File sizes

Cybersecurity professionals use this command daily.

Viewing Another Directory

You don't always need to move into a folder to see its contents.

Example:

ls Desktop

or

ls /home/kali/Desktop

Linux will display the contents of that folder.

Think of it as:

Looking through a window without entering the room.

Creating Folders with mkdir

Suppose you're starting a new project.

You need a place to store files.

Create a directory:

mkdir Projects

Verify:

ls

Output:

Projects

mkdir stands for:

Make Directory

Think of it as building a new room inside your house.

Removing Empty Folders with rmdir

What if you no longer need the folder?

If it's empty:

rmdir Projects

The folder disappears.

Think of rmdir as:

Demolishing an empty room.

Important:

The directory must be empty.

Otherwise Linux refuses to remove it.

Removing Files with rm

Suppose you have:

notes.txt

and want to delete it.

Use:

rm notes.txt

The file is removed immediately.

There is no recycle bin.

There is no trash folder.

Once deleted, it's gone.

This is why cybersecurity professionals always double-check before using rm.

Finding Files with locate

Imagine a city containing thousands of buildings.

You know a file exists somewhere.

But you don't know where.

Use:

locate notes.txt

Example output:

/home/kali/Documents/notes.txt

Linux instantly tells you where the file is located.

This is much faster than manually searching.

What If locate Doesn't Work?

Many beginners encounter:

locate: command not found

or

No results found

The database may need updating.

Run:

sudo updatedb

Then try:

locate notes.txt

again.

Think of updatedb as updating a city's directory before searching for addresses.

Changing Your Password with passwd

Passwords are important in Linux.

To change your password:

passwd

Linux will ask:

Current Password
New Password
Retype New Password

Once completed, your password is updated.

This is one of the first security practices every Linux user should know.

Getting Help with man

Now imagine learning hundreds of Linux commands.

Do you need to memorize everything?

Absolutely not.

Linux includes built-in documentation.

Example:

man ls

Linux displays:

  • Description
  • Options
  • Examples
  • Usage Information

You can do the same for almost any command:

man cd
man passwd
man mkdir

Think of man as:

The official instruction manual for Linux commands.

Experienced Linux administrators use it constantly.

A Small Practical Challenge

Let's put everything together.

Create a folder:

mkdir CyberLab

Move into it:

cd CyberLab

Check your location:

pwd

View contents:

ls -la

Move back:

cd ..

Delete the folder:

rmdir CyberLab

Congratulations.

You have just performed the most common file system operations used in Linux.

Why Cybersecurity Professionals Must Master These Commands

Almost every cybersecurity task involves files.

Examples:

  • Log Analysis
  • Malware Samples
  • Wordlists
  • Scripts
  • Reports
  • Evidence Collection

Before using advanced tools like:

  • Nmap
  • Wireshark
  • Burp Suite
  • Metasploit

you must know how to move around Linux efficiently.

The terminal is where cybersecurity professionals spend most of their time.

And navigation commands are the foundation of everything that comes next.